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Leafy Spurge Euphorbia esula Leafy Spurge, a member of the Spurge Family, is legally classified as a noxious weed in nineteen states, including Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Landowners in these states are required to eradicate it. Leafy Spurge is a deep-rooted Eurasian perennial that can dramatically reduce the economic productivity and biological diversity of grasslands. It can reduce the productivity of grazing land by 50 to 75 percent because cattle and horses will not eat it. Leafy Spurge currently inhabits about 3,000,000 acres of rangeland in the United States with the heaviest concentrations in the northern Great Plains, particularly North Dakota. In just four states, the economic losses from Leaf Spurge exceed $100 million annually. Leafy Spurge out competes other vegetation by beginning growth early in the spring, shading out competitors, and taking more than its share of moisture and nutrients from the soil. It also appears to produce chemicals that interfere with the growth of other plant species. In natural areas, Leafy Spurge destroys wildlife habitat by displacing native grasses and forbs in only a few years after its introduction. First recorded in the United States in 1827, Leafy Spurge may have arrived here accidentally as a contaminant in agricultural seed or intentionally as an ornamental plant. Habitat: Open areas, but tolerates partial shade; rangeland, roadsides; prairies, savannas, gravel pits, damp to dry soils; most aggressive on semiarid sites. Leaves: Simple (meaning that it is not divided into sections); alternate (meaning that the leafs come off of the stem alternately); long; narrow; 0.25 inches wide; bluish green; usually pointed and drooping with smooth margins; have petioles (stems). Flowers: Very small; green; petals fused into a cuplike structure; surrounded beneath by prominent bracts; bloom begins around midJune, about two weeks after bracts appear, and continues to the end of July; some plants continue to bloom into fall; produce large amounts of pollen and nectar. Bracts: The most colorful and conspicuous part of the plant; large; yellow-green; heartshaped; petal-like; paired; seven to ten are borne in umbels at the tops of stem; open late May or early June. Seeds: Oblong; gray-brown; smooth; produced in three-celled capsules (one seed per cell); capsules expel seeds passively in mid to late July, or explode open dispersing seeds up to 15 feet away; can produce more than 200 seeds per plant; high germination rate with most seeds germinating within the first two years; typically germinate late May to early June but germination can occur throughout the growing season if there is adequate moisture; remain viable up to eight year; spread by wildlife, humans, and water. Stems: Erect; branched at top; non-woody; hairless; shoots emerge in late March; grow rapidly in May and June: can reach densities of up to 1,800 stems per square yard. Saps: Milky white, sticky (latex); seeps from plant when any part is cut or torn; can help in identification, although it is present in all species of the Spurge Family. Roots: Woody; tough; brown; pink buds develop new rots or stems; from a dense network to 12 inches deep; taproots teach up to 15 feet deep; rhizomes can spread 35 feet laterally; vegetative growth along rhizomes and root crowns is the primary method of expansion into undisturbed area; root reserves enable plants to recover form most damage; very persistent; if foliage is destroyed, roots will generate new shoots. Control: No mechanical control methods have proven effective on Leafy Spurge. Hand pulling, digging, and tilling succeed only if the entire root system is removed. The number of plants may actually increase if any root fragments remain in the soil. Burning has not been very effective for Leafy Spurge control. In areas dominated by Leafy Spurge, there is little fuel (fry grasses, sedges, or leaf litter) and fires, therefore do not burn hot enough to kill the plants. Studies indicate that while spring burning may decrease seed germination, it also stimulates leaf production. Weekly mowing can reduce Leafy Spurge seed production, but does nothing to limit the spread of the rhizomes. Imazapic is a selective herbicide that has been effective on Leafy Spurge. It may harm cool-season grasses, but warm-season prairie grasses, such as Big and Little Bluestem, Indiangrass, and Sideoats Grama, tolerate its use. Imazapic may leach into groundwater on sandy soils, especially where the water tale is shallow. Check with local cooperative extension soil experts before using this product. Imazapic should be applied in the fall before a killing frost. Experiments in southern Wisconsin show that the combination of a controlled burn in the spring followed by a foliar application of fosamine after Leafy Spurge plants have resprouted and begun blooming (June-July) is an effective control measure. Using this method, control was achieved one year after the chemical application, although follow up treatments were necessary for three to four years to kill plants germinating from the seedbank. 2,4D amine plus glyphosate can be used to treat small patches of Leafy Spurge but is nonselective, requires repeated application, and has poor long-term control. Biological Control: The United States Department of Agriculture has done extensive experiments involving six insects, including flea beetles of the genus Aphthona, to help control Leafy Spurge. Results thus far have been encouraging. It is important to match the various beetles with their appropriate habitat requirements. These beetles are available in most states with spurge infestations. Persons interested in releasing them may be able to collect extra beetles at sites where releases have been done several years previously. For more information, contact your state invasive plant control coordinator or the USDA’s Team Leaf Spurge at www.team.ars.usda.gov/index.html Angora goats and Targhee sheep like to eat Leafy Spurge flowers, thereby reducing seed production. In native prairies, grazing is most helpful in the spring when the majority of native grasses are still dormant. Sheep and goats are generally less costly to use then chemical control measures but do not limit the spread of Leafy Spurge by rhizomes. Ranchers who raise only cattle should consider stocking goats and sheep if they have an extensive infestation of Leafy Spurge. Leafy Spurge has infested over 1.2 million acres of rangeland in North Dakota alone, resulting in an estimated annual loss of nearly $75 million. Annual economic impacts of Leafy Spurge infestation on grazing and wildlands in Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wyoming are about $129,000,000. Because of Leafy Spurge, ranchers have had to abandon more than one million acres that could have supported 90,000 cattle. In the mid 1980’s, a 1.360 acre ranch in Klamath County, Oregon, was abandoned due to nonproductively caused by Leafy Spurge. It was later purchased at an auction in 1988 for 17% of the value it would have sold for otherwise. Leafy Spurge is poisonous to cattle and causes severe eye irritation and possibly blindness in humans.